Friar Basketball

Six Things to Watch for: Friars Visit Brown

Council_Rutgers

1. The return of Vincent Council. Ever since the five minute mark of the season Friar fans have been waiting for the 1st Team All Big East point guard to return to the lineup. Adam Zagoria reported this week that Council is set to return against Brown.

What can we expect against Brown if he does return? Council may likely play in spurts, and it will be interesting to see if there are any lingering effects, or rust, from the injury.

Even more important than shaking off any rustiness is how fast Providence can incorporate Council back into an evolving offense. This group has gotten used to playing without him and will now have to learn again how to play with their leader. Each player will have to adjust his game in some way as Council regains his former spot on the team.

2. Kadeem Batts’ foul trouble.  Friday may not be the greatest indicator because of the talent level of Brown, but in order for PC to have any success this year Batts is going to have to be able to stay on the floor, while also learning how to play when he is in foul trouble. The Friars are a different team when Batts is not on the court and Saturday’s loss to Boston College proved they cannot afford to go long stretches without him.

3. The play of Sidiki Johnson. Hopefully, Ed Cooley can get it through to Johnson that when someone passes him the ball that he does not have to automatically shoot it. If Sidiki can be a solid rotation guy, playing 15-20 minutes per game, it would solve a lot of problems for PC, including helping to keep Batts out of foul trouble. Until Johnson starts moving the ball more effectively he will probably only be playing in small spurts.

Cooley’s roster continues to evolve

4. Defending the three. Cooley has frequently said that the key to Providence’s defense is “no threes and tough twos.” This formula had worked well for the Friars up until the Boston College game when the Eagles went 7-18 from the three point line.  PC needs to get back to giving up “no threes and tough twos” and this needs to start with Brown. 

Sean McGonagill, Matt Sullivan, and Tucker Halpern are Brown’s three point threats and the Friars need to make sure that none of them go off from the three point line against the Friars

5. The rotation. Brown is the first game of the year in which the Friars will be playing with the lineup that Friar fans have been anticipating since the beginning of the season. This is where the fun begins.

What sort of lineups and rotations might we see from the Friars?  Will Council, Kris Dunn and Bryce Cotton be on the floor at the same time in a three guard lineup? Will Council play off the ball when he and Dunn are in the game at the same time? Will Batts, Johnson, and LaDontae Henton play together in a larger lineup?  How many minutes will Lee Goldsbrough, Brice Kofane, and Ted Bancroft get now that everyone is back?

We will start to see some answers for these questions and others during the Brown game.

6. Cotton, Fortune, and Dunn adjusting to Council. These three players figure to benefit the most from the return of Council. Cotton and Josh Fortune should now be able to play off the ball much more and rely on Council to get them open looks for three point shots. Dunn will be able to be eased into the lineup more slowly with less ball handling responsibilities, which should allow him to get more comfortable out on the court.

The Friars are going to have a different type of team heading into the Big East season from the one we have seen up until now. The additions of Council, Dunn, and Johnson will change the roles of everyone on the team. During the Brown game we will get a sneak preview of what to expect and how much work needs to be done to get the team (and the three new players) ready for Big East action.

 

Email Craig at craig.leighton@friarbasketball.com

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